BALTIMORE, Md. — Morgan State men’s basketball team will open the 2012-13 season with a trio of games at the Liberty Tax Classic this Friday-Sunday, Nov. 9-11, in Norfolk, Va. The Bears will face the University of Texas-San Antonio at 5 p.m. on Friday, host Old Dominion at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday and Holy Cross at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT
Morgan State entered the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament winners of four of their last five games. However, the Bears’ struggles with converting field goals was their undoing this Tuesday afternoon. Hampton found their stride with their three-point shooting and Darrion Pellum stepped up late to help them defeat the Bears 69-65 in the first round action of the MEAC Tournament. The loss ended what was a tough season for head coach Todd Bozeman and his Bears.
“It’s tough to take a loss on the first day. It’s been the most challenging season I’ve ever had in my career,” said Bozeman, whose Bears finished the season 9-20.
MSU was very much in the game despite converting only four of 32 field goals in the first half. It was because of their rebounding, particularly on the offensive end. The Bears outrebounded Hampton by a 48-35 margin that included 21 offensive boards.
The game was nip and tuck for most of the second half. Kevin Thompson (12 pts, 17 rebs) gave MSU their final lead of the game, 55-54, on a three-point play with 2:40 remaining.
Hampton (11-20) scored the next 10 points and sealed the Bears’ fate. The run started when Jasper Williams, who scored 20 points, hit an off-balanced three-pointer. Williams hurt the Bears from long range, nailing five of seven shots three-pointers. It ended on Darrion Pellum’s four consecutive free throws. The last two with 39 seconds left put the Pirates up to stay at 64-55.
Pellum led everyone with 23 points on the afternoon. But he wasn’t the sole focus for Morgan State defensively according to Bozeman.

MORGAN STATE IN SEASON OPENERS
The Bears are 17-30 in season openers since 1963-64. Todd Bozeman is 2-4 in season openers at Morgan State. The last time the Bears won a season opener was during the 2010-11 campaign when they posted an 81-79 victory at Loyola Marymount.

MORGAN STATE TABBED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Morgan State was picked to finish third in the 2012-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s basketball preseason poll behind Savannah State and Delaware State.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

JACKSON SET TO LEADDeWayne Jackson is the lone returning senior who saw action for Morgan State last year. In fact, he is just one of two seniors on the Bears roster. After transfer Anthony Hubbard, who transferred to Morgan State from Iowa and sat out the 2011-12 campaign, there are six (6) juniors, four (4) sophomores and two (2) freshmen on the Bears roster.

RECOVERING THE SWAG
The Bears will look to rebound from last year’s dismal season in which the Bears recorded a 9-20 finish. It marked Todd Bozeman‘s worst season as a head coach, and it was Morgan State’s worst season since going 4-26 in 2005-06.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

JACKSON CLIMBING THE MSU RECORD BOOK DeWayne Jackson (1,156, 384 rebs., 107 asts) needs just 14 points to supass Billy Newton (1,169 points) to become the school’s No. 16 all-time leading scorer. Jackson is one of three Bears on MSU’s all-time scoring list who have been coached by Todd Bozeman. Kevin Thompson (2009-12) ranks No. 9 (1,487 points) and Reggie Holmes (2007-10) is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,051 points.

HOME GROWN
Morgan State has eight players from the Metropolitan-D.C. area, including one from Baltimore. Senior DeWayne Jackson (Bowie High) and sophmore Blake Bozeman (Solebury Prep) are both from Bowie. Transfer guard Daryl Traynham is from Melwood (Wise High), walk-on Daon Riley is from Severn (Old Mill High), and Cedric Blossom is from Columbia (Montrose Christian). Anthony Hubbard is a product of Woodbridge (Va.), while junior Justin Black attended DeMatha High and Donte Pretlow was a standout at Dunbar High in Baltimore.

BOZEMAN WIN PERCENTAGE AT MSUTodd Bozeman, now in his seventh season as head coach of the Bears, has an overall win percentage of .566 (111-85) after 196 games at Morgan State. That winning mean is the second highest among 15 head coaches in the history of the Morgan State men’s basketball program. Nathaniel Frazier’s winning percentage of .578 (166-121) is the highest percentage in Morgan State history.

UP NEXT
The Bears will travel to face the University of South Carolina at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16.